WA Veterinary Practice Amendment Regulations: AVA Raises Concerns in High-Level Meeting with Agriculture Minister

As part of the AVA’s ongoing advocacy regarding the draft Veterinary Practice Amendment Regulations in Western Australia, a key meeting was recently held with WA Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC, at Parliament House.

Representing the AVA were Dr Katie Kreutz (President, WA Division), Dr Martin Dolinschek (Equine Veterinarians Australia member), and Dr Robyn Whitaker (Senior Advocacy Officer). Outlined in the meeting were the AVA’s significant concerns about the proposed regulatory changes and the limited timeframe provided for final consultation on this important piece of legislation.

During the meeting, the following key concerns were highlighted:

• Regulatory inconsistency: Veterinarians face increased compliance obligations, while non-veterinarians are permitted to undertake acts of veterinary medicine without comparable oversight, creating an uneven regulatory playing field.
• Animal welfare risks: The proposed reduction in veterinary oversight for certain procedures—particularly in livestock and equine sectors—raises serious concerns about the potential for diminished animal health outcomes and inadequate pain management.
• Legal and professional liability concerns: Ambiguities in the regulations around the supervision of non-veterinarians could expose veterinarians to significant professional and legal risk.
• Economic and workforce impacts: The added regulatory burden may exacerbate existing pressures on the veterinary workforce, especially in rural and regional WA, where access to veterinary care is already stretched.

Minister Jarvis was highly engaged throughout the discussion and demonstrated an understanding of the issues raised. She undertook to examine the matter further and indicated that she would clarify the timing of the intended implementation of the draft Regulations. The Minister also signalled that there may be scope to identify particular aspects of the draft that require further consultation.

The AVA remains committed to working collaboratively with government and stakeholders to ensure that regulatory reforms support both the veterinary profession and animal welfare across WA. Members will be kept informed of further developments.

More information on the AVA’s advocacy work on this matter can be found here.